


Double Shot

by professor_moony



Series: Marauder Era AUs [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Barista!James, F/M, James is very passionate about coffee, Muggle AU, law student!lily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:25:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8267605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professor_moony/pseuds/professor_moony
Summary: The fit, and obviously mad, barista slowly shakes his head in her direction. “No,” he says. “No way am I enabling you and allowing you to drink a monstrosity like that. Nuh uh – there has to be a point where moral decency must intervene.” or: a coffee shop au





	

**Author's Note:**

> Every week I'm going to try and post an AU drabble so this is the beginning. I know it's been done a million and one times. Forgive me. 
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr @ professormoony

“Double shot of caramel cappuccino?”

“With three sugars,” Lily repeats her order, a note of irritation creeping into her voice. She has a million and one to do lists running through her mind, is currently existing on about four hours sleep and slow on the uptake baristas are not really something that she has the capacity or the patience to deal with.

The barista – who she had noticed as soon as she walked in the door as being ridiculously and unfairly handsome – gives her an affronted look as if she had asked him for a lap dance instead of a coffee. His hands, which were previously tweaking various buttons and knobs on the coffee machine, suddenly slam down on the benchtop between them and Lily jumps at the glower he levels in her direction.

The fit, and obviously mad, barista slowly shakes his head in her direction. “No,” he says. “No way am I enabling you and allowing you to drink a monstrosity like that. Nuh uh – there has to be a point where moral decency must intervene.”

“What?” Lily asks dumbly. She probably can’t even attribute her confusion to being sleep deprived as she’s fairly sure even on one of her better days she would be feeling as flabbergasted as she does now. For some unbeknownst reason the fit, mad barista guy has taken offense to her coffee order and Lily is seriously way too tired to cope with this.  

Seemingly oblivious to her internal woes, he continues shaking his head at her in resigned disappointment. “It’s always the pretty ones,” he tells her mournfully, and despite herself she feels pleased - until she hears his next words. “I wouldn’t make you that drink even if you paid me to.”

She feels oddly likely she’s getting scolded by her mother. “I am paying you,” she reminds him crossly, waving the notes that she has in her hands in his face as a forceful reminder. When he crosses his arms resolutely in her direction, she sighs and instead tries to rationalize. “I’m a paying customer, you have to make me my coffee.”

The barista clucks his tongue at her, shrugging his shoulders in a helpless sort of way. “Sorry ma’am, no can do. I'd be banned from all coffee shops around the United Kingdom if I made you that drink. Do you really want to be responsible for that?”

“It would be my absolute pleasure to be responsible for that,” Lily says immediately, crossing her arms in a manner very similar to her fifteen-year-old self. Now she definitely feels like she’s being scolded by her mum. “Are you seriously not going to make me my bloody coffee? I want to speak to a manager then.”

The fit-and-mad barista shoots her a cheeky grin and taps his gleaming white badge on his chest proudly. It proudly states _Manager_. “You’re speaking with him.”

 _Of course_ , she thinks feeling defeated. The badge stares at her mockingly and she despondently looks at his hands, still resting on the counter between them, and tries to will them into operating the coffee machine with her mind. It doesn’t work. After a second of contemplation – she tries a different technique.

“Please, you don’t understand. I study law. I feel like I’m going to die under a mountain of paperwork about eighty-seven per cent of the time and one of the only things – the _only_ thing that keeps me going is sugary coffees. Can’t you understand?” He stares at her, his haughty expression not slipping even a little bit. “ _Please_ ,” she says and gives him her best helpless look, fluttering her eyelashes madly in his direction. 

She has the decency to feel ashamed of herself, but only a little. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and all that malarky, and need for consumption of caffeine and sugar is desperate indeed. 

There’s a beat of silence. Lily is just about ready to throw away all shreds of dignity she has left and get down on her knees in front of him to start begging, before the barista breaks into a wide and devious smile.

“I will make this horrid, rancid drink…”

Lily has never heard better words in her entire life and she can’t help but beam at the barista in her glow of happiness. He smiles back at her, but it quickly turns smug. “ _If,”_ he says, drawing the word out mischievously, “You let me take you for dinner.”

And – well Lily wasn’t expecting that at all.

She hadn’t been expecting any of this, to be honest. All she had wanted was her way-too-sweet coffee on her way to uni to keep her awake through her dead boring lectures, and here she was talking to probably most attractive and equally as weird bloke she may have ever met who scolded her drink and then asked her to dinner in the next breath.

And if it had been anyone else Lily would have been telling them off with a few choice words before getting out of there before you could say _coffee_ – but, well he’s tall and his jaw line is probably criminal in some parts of the world and he’s mad, yes, but in a funny, endearing kind of way…

“I might consider that,” she tells him, pretending to think carefully over his offer. “Will I receive my double shot of caramel cappuccino with three sugars, no more questions asked?”

The barista mimes zipping his lips shut and Lily’s reluctantly (but completely) charmed.

She nods. “Coffee first,” she instructs and he tips an imaginary hat in her direction and finally, thankfully _,_  starts up the coffee machine. She could kiss him in relief. Or just because, she’s not fussed on the how’s and why’s of it.

In the middle of his coffee making process, he shoots her a look from behind the machine and Lily can’t help but notice how cute he looks with his glasses half way down his nose and the way they fog slightly from the steam. “Can I get a name for the coffee order?”

“Lily,” she tells him, suddenly shy. “Lily Evans.”

“I’m James,” he says and hands her the coffee cup with a dramatic flourish. Lily bites her cheek to try and stop the ridiculous smile that threatens to cover her face. Fit, mad, barista James has written _Lily_ on top of the lid in a messy scrawl and underneath a series of numbers that she assumes is his phone number. “Text me when you want to organize that dinner, Evans.”

(She lasts about an hour before she texts him – _next time I come, I’m going to get four sugars with my coffee_.

He replies within a couple of seconds. She thinks, clearly no one has told James the Barista how to play hard to get.

_Four sugars is totally excessive. I won’t fancy you when all your teeth fall out you know._

Shortly after – _But as long as you’re planning on coming back, Lily Evans I suppose I'll allow it._ )


End file.
